A Maine Christmas...or Two (19 page)

Thorsen stood in the lobby waiting for Riley, his nerves buzzing like he’d hit a live wire. Yet, the moment he set eyes on her coming up the porch steps and walking towards him, he knew exactly why his heart had been beating at three times its normal rhythm.

Wearing a silky slip of a coral dress that glided over every curve, she left him stunned and speechless. A smile played upon her glossed lips as she closed the distance between them, her lush locks bouncing with every step. “Are you ready to go? I thought we might walk into town, if that’s all right with you. It’s a perfect night for it, and it’s not terribly far. No more than a fifteen-minute walk.”

“That sounds perfect.” He placed a gentle hand on the small of her back to guide her towards the door—and damn if he could think of anything but the way her body felt under the thin shifting silk. With the setting sun painting the sky in oranges and reds, it was the perfect backdrop as they wandered down the steps. “You look lovely, by the way. I must confess that after all these years, it’s taken me aback to see you again.” It was still the truth, even if he knew she’d be here at the inn.

“I think I was just as surprised as you were. And thank you. You’re looking rather handsome yourself.” She linked her arm with his and looked up at him sideways with a sweet smile. It took everything he had not to kiss her—when the light in her eyes suddenly faded and her smile vanished.

Thorsen suppressed a growl as Anna caught up to them. “Ms. Carter, I’m with Holt Enterprises. I don’t mean to interrupt your evening, but busy as your schedule is, I missed you earlier today and didn’t want another day to pass without having the chance to introduce myself properly. I hadn’t realized you were the manager when I arrived this morning, since you were driving the bus.”

“Well, we all do what we can to help out, especially during our busier times of the year.” Though Riley tensed at his side, she managed a small smile. “I hope you’ll enjoy your stay here, and if you need anything at all, be sure to let me know.”

“That’s just it. If you could set aside some time tomorrow, I’d love the chance to go over the details of what you offer your guests here at the Siren Song Inn.” There was no warmth, compassion, or humor in Anna’s eyes, and it left Thorsen annoyed with himself since he was inadvertently the reason Anna was at the inn.

Riley let out a sigh, though her smile remained. “That would be fine. Feel free to have the front desk page me when you’re ready to meet. Have a good evening.”

They made their escape, but he wondered if their evening was now ruined. Her smile had now faded, and the spark in her intelligent eyes was replaced with worry. “Riley…I know it’s none of my business, but I’m here if you want to talk.”

She shrugged and said nothing for a long while, leading them down the path and onto the road that would lead into town. Her silence felt deafening, though she eventually looked over at him. “I suppose I can tell you, since it’s not really a secret. It’s the inn. The owners accepted an offer on it. Some big company out of Boston bought it, which means they’ll probably swallow it into some cookie-cutter hotel chain.”

He hated to see her so worried. “It might not be so bad. And I’m sure they’ll keep everyone on, since the staff’s already familiar with the running of the place.”

“I doubt it. Most places like to put their own people in charge, which means they’ll likely reshuffle or lay off most of the staff. Even if they keep me on, I’ll likely get bumped from being manager. But that’s not what worries me.” She grabbed his arm and looked up at him. “You know what the Siren and Mermaid Isle are like. They’re so quirky and fun. Unique. If they change the inn, they’ll change the island since it’s such a big part of the island economy. And I really don’t think they’ll see the Siren for what it is and what it has to offer. Not when they could make it some resort and spa for the rich and famous. The island will end up being another Martha’s Vineyard or East Hampton.”

He swore he hadn’t had plans of turning the inn into a five-star hotel just like the one she was describing, and yet he knew better than to lie to himself. Though he had fond memories of his summer on Mermaid Isle, he’d forgotten just how different the island was—or hadn’t really noticed it, given his age. He’d looked at the financials for the inn before making the offer, and it could work out well—but only if they turned it into a luxury resort.

“I suppose there’d be a bigger market for something more mainstream.” Guilt nagged at him, especially when he knew he was the cause of her distress. Part of him wanted to come clean and tell her that it was his company that had bought the Siren, and yet no one could know he was here.

Exposure like that would plant him in front of the board while he attempted to explain his actions, and that would be very bad for him
and
the inn. All he could do was try to reassure her that it’d be for the best and it would all work out in the end.

And yet he now knew there was a good chance it could all go to hell.

R
iley tried not
to let her emotions get the best of her, but so much of her future felt uncertain, and completely out of her control. And now she had Anna wanting to go over every little detail—probably so she’d have enough ammo to get rid of everything that made the inn unique.

She gave Thorsen a sideways glance as they continued towards town. “I think that’s what has me so worried. They’ll come in and see that it’ll be easier to make a profit if they cater to the masses and that’ll be that. They’ll end up trying to attract a completely different crowd, and if they raise our prices, it’ll be out of reach for the majority of the guests and artists who come here throughout the year.”

He stopped walking and turned towards her, his eyes locked on hers, though they were filled with the same worry that was churning in her chest. “Maybe it won’t be so bad. There’s a good chance they’ll see it for what it’s worth.”

She scoffed, trying not to think the worst and failing miserably. “I highly doubt it. You saw the woman they’ve sent. She’s been furiously scribbling in that notebook of hers all day long and tomorrow she wants to go through everything. You just know she’ll take a look at the amount we bring in, and it won’t be enough. I doubt a single thing will remain the same—and if that’s the case, I don’t know that I’ll have the heart to stick around.” The thought had her eyes stinging and a lump forming in her throat.

“Let’s stay positive, yeah?” He took her hand in his and brought it to his lips, the gesture so sweet, it pulled her back from the brink. “There’s no point in fretting over something that might not be.”

He was right. And with him at her side, he made it a whole lot easier for her to do just that. Despite their years apart, he’d always held a special place in her heart, and that hadn’t changed.

He’d been her first—and they had been great friends, inseparable during the time they’d spent together. She wasn’t quite sure how they’d lost touch, but it had been her biggest regret.

And now that he was back? It made her want to make up for lost time, although…she wished things weren’t in such an upheaval. Riley just knew that woman from Holt was going to make her life miserable. “Enough about me—and definitely enough about work. I want to hear what you’ve been up to all these years.”

Thorsen gave her a sideways glance, so his blue eyes caught the setting sun. “I left here and went back to boarding school—an all-boys school, mind you—which only served to sear that last summer of ours in my mind permanently.”

A laugh escaped her. “You poor thing. I can only imagine.” And she thought she had it bad being stuck in a small-town high school back in the Berkshires.

“You have no idea.” He shook his head and gave her a quick devilish grin that made her stomach flutter. “Afterwards, I went to university at Oxford, grad school at MIT, and then started working for Interpol.”

“Oxford, MIT,
and
Interpol?” She took another look at him, damn well impressed. Not only was he make-a-girl-weak-in-the-knees gorgeous, he was also brilliant. She thought back to the young man he’d been—intelligent and kind, but he’d only started to come into his own, tall and lanky, and just a little shy. “So then, are you here on a break from catching spies and tracking nuclear weapons? Or are you here on some super-secret undercover mission?”

“Could be. Perhaps I should get you alone and give you a thorough interrogation.” He waggled his eyebrows at her with a crooked grin.

“
Oh!
” She couldn’t help but laugh, and yet his sidelong glance and smile reminded her of just how long she’d been single. Her insides jumped and she felt her pulse take up residence between her legs, making her wish he hadn’t been kidding.

When he gave her a sweet smile, she caught a glimmer of the shy young man he’d been. “Actually, it’s nothing that exciting and I’m no longer with Interpol. I decided to take a break to do some contract work and consulting, so I’m sort of on my own schedule for now. But honestly? I’m in no rush to get back to work. I have a fair bit of money stashed away and can take my time to figure out what I want to do next.”

“Does that mean you’ll be staying at the inn awhile?” She sounded stupidly hopeful and desperate, but she just couldn’t help herself. With her pulse galloping and her stomach fluttering, it was clear her body and heart were ready to pick up where they’d left off a decade ago.

“I booked my room for a couple of weeks, but was thinking I might stay long enough to watch the leaves change in the fall. Maybe rent one of the cottages, depending on the availability.” He bumped her shoulder playfully. “Just like that summer.”

“You can mention that summer all you want, as long as you forget that incident on the cliff.” She cringed and felt a heat flush her cheeks and chest as she recalled one of the scariest—and embarrassing—moments of her life. “I don’t know what the hell I’d been thinking. That was mortifying.”

“But I got to rescue a damsel in distress. What could possibly be better than that?” He spun her towards him and slipped an arm around her waist. Her breath hitched as he gently pulled her close, his hard body pressed against hers so she could think of nothing but the way his tight muscles felt under the thin cotton of his shirt. “Was it not something like this, darling?”

The memories returned in a flash, her fingers curling to grasp hold of him as if she were there once more, perched precariously over an angry ocean and he was the only thing keeping her upright. She’d been climbing the cliffs when she managed to get herself stuck on a ledge, the jagged rocks below sapping her courage. She’d called out for help, and it was Thorsen who’d come to her rescue. He’d climbed out to her and then, holding her close so she wouldn’t see the drop below, he slowly led her to safety, soothing her with words of encouragement and reassurance the entire way there.

He’d stolen her heart that day, and Riley now wondered if he’d ever given it back.

She looked up at him as his gaze pulled her in and sent her already erratic heart skittering. It was impossible to ignore the well-defined biceps she’d rested her hands on, or the tingle that rushed over her skin from being encircled in the safety of his arms once more. Long gone was the shy and gangly youth, though she suspected his sweet and caring nature had never changed. “I don’t recall ever thanking you properly for saving me that day.”

Brushing a stray curl from her face, his touch lingered as humor and desire lit his eyes from within, stealing her breath and leaving her lightheaded. “Does this mean I get to collect with interest?”

She sure as hell hoped so. Because it turned out that she still wanted him. With every fiber of her being. The air between them felt charged like there was a coming summer storm and he had her teetering on the delicious edge of want and desire, every nerve in her body buzzing with a building need.

Not waiting for an answer, he nuzzled her for a moment as she breathed in his scent, his stubble rough against her cheek, before he covered her mouth with his. He smelled like wood smoke and black tea, and he tasted like warm honey. He kissed her slowly at first, lazily almost, but then his tongue pushed past her lips and his kiss deepened until there was nothing but the two of them. Nothing but a raw heat and passion that had her pulling him towards her, taking, tasting, and knowing she couldn’t get enough.

She fisted her hands in his shirt and pressed her body against his, the thin silk of her dress shifting over her skin and heightening the feel of his touch as his fingers spread over the small of her back possessively. It sent a shiver of need rippling over her skin, leaving a trail of goose bumps as her body went both hot and cold at once, his effect on her overwhelming. He slowed his kisses and held her close, her breathing heavy as her knees threatened to give out from under her.

When he nuzzled her once more, she all but whimpered, she wanted him so bad. His words were a mere whisper against her skin, sending another shiver of need racing through her. “I can’t say that you’ve paid me back what’s owed in its entirety, but I think that’s a good start.”

She nodded, trying to muster a coherent thought that didn’t involve him naked in her bed. “I’m sure after going so many years without a payment, what’s owed must be a staggering sum.”